The Best Medicine
by MissLizzyJ
Summary: Matt is forced to leave town for the Dog Soldiers' trials and his absence interferes with Kitty's recovery. Post season 18 episode "Hostage!"
1. No News is Good News

A/N I apologize for the short opening chapter, it just seemed like a good stopping place. Don't worry; I won't make you wait too long for the next one.

These characters belong to someone else; I'm just providing a little closure to an episode that needed some.

 **The Best Medicine**

 **Chapter One No News is Good News**

Matt Dillon was ten miles away from Hayes when he realized he had forgotten to let anyone know he was on his way back. After attending to one last matter of business, he had retrieved his horse, already loaded and waiting for him, and in his hurry to get home, he hadn't even thought about stopping to send word that he was leaving, or to check for messages one last time. Although he knew any telegrams would be delivered to him, in the weeks he'd been there he'd gotten into the habit of stopping at the telegraph office every time he walked past it, his anxiety building as he stepped through the door, then breathing a sigh of relief when the operator shook his head and told him there were no wires waiting for him. The one message he'd gotten from Doc a week earlier, telling him that things were the same in Dodge, had done little to reassure him. While his head knew Doc would have let him know if Kitty took a turn for the worse, his heart needed more. Returning to Hayes would be a waste of time that would be better spent getting back to her. The only thing that would ease his worry at all would be to be at Kitty's side, seeing for himself that she was getting better, or at least, no worse. Until then, he would keep reminding himself that no news was good news.

* * *

It was one of Doc's rare slow days, and he was taking advantage of it by attending to work around the office. He spent all morning making up pills and powders for the patients who would need them in the week to come. At noon, he had examined the patient who had been in residence for over a month and seen that she had her lunch, though as usual, she didn't eat much of it. He had spent the afternoon writing in his journals, but it couldn't take his mind off his concern for the patient in the next room. It had been a long road for her, and he was confident, finally, that she would physically recover, but her progress had slowed down considerably as of late. The fact that they both knew why did nothing to help, for there was nothing they could do about it. Her reason for living had left town, and none of them were happy about the situation, but it was necessary for him to attend the trials of those responsible for her being in Doc's bed and not her own room at the Long Branch. In the first weeks, she'd been too sick to see anyone, and It had been Matt's presence that had given her the will hold on and start responding to Doc's treatment. Now that she was finally out of danger medically, it would do her good to have some visitors, but she had shown little interest in seeing anyone, or in anything at all, for that matter.

Doc took off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. He was going to have to think of something to do to try to help her. He couldn't let her health decline while Matt was away. There must be something that could lift her spirits. In the middle of that thought, his office door opened and he looked up.

"Well, come in! Come in!" he said to the man standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Doc," the man greeted him. "I brought something for Miss Kitty."

"Oh, for Heaven's sake. That might be exactly what she needs. Why in thunder didn't I think of that? You just go right on in and see her."

TBC


	2. The Best Thing For Her

A/N I appreciate the reviews for the first chapter and enjoyed all the guesses about who might be there to see Kitty. Hope no one is too disappointed about who it is or what he brought. Also, I had told several people I planned to have the new chapter done yesterday, and as you can see, it wasn't. So here it is, a day late….

 **Chapter Two** **The Best Thing For Her**

 _Somewhat worse for the wear, although still in one piece after fighting Jude Bonner, Matt went directly to Doc's, not bothering to clean up or even check in at the jail first. Relief that she was still alive mingled with guilt over not having been able to save her as he sat in a chair at Kitty's bedside, watching her sleep. According to Doc, she had come to several hours after he left and drifted in and out of consciousness ever since, asking for him every time she woke. If that was the case, she'd start to wake again soon enough, in the meantime he'd not disturb her while she rested. Soon, pain tightened her battered but still beautiful face, and she began to toss her head from side to side on the pillow. "Mmmm...Matt," she called weakly._

 _He took her hand to comfort her. "Kitty," he whispered. "I'm right here, honey." She turned in his direction, and tears welled up in her eyes as she took in his appearance._

" _Cowboy...I was so afraid-" she paused to take a breath and he could see her struggling not to break down. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers gently. He could only imagine the terror she must have felt while those animals were carrying out their revenge on her, but he should have known that wasn't what she was talking about. "-afraid you weren't going to make it back this time," she finished with a sob._

 _Matt bowed his head against their clasped hands, humbled at the thought that he didn't deserve this woman, who could still be more concerned about him than about herself, even after everything she'd just been through. He reached out to stroke her hair gently. "Kitty, you shouldn't be worrying about me," he said hoarsely. "Get some rest, now."_

 _A smile flickered over her lips briefly. "You sound like Doc," she murmured, squeezing his hand._

" _Well, Doc's right. But don't you let him know I said that." They shared a look that said everything they weren't able to put into words, and then Kitty's eyes began to droop and she surrendered to sleep again, more peaceful this time knowing that Matt was by her side._

Kitty's peaceful sleep was short-lived, Matt recalled as he rode across the endless prairie from Hayes to Dodge, memories coming to him unbidden as he allowed Buck his head. Late the night of his return, Kitty had developed pneumonia, likely a complication of both the bullet wound and her broken ribs, Doc explained. For more than a week they, along with Ma Smalley and Bess Roniger, had sponged Kitty off around the clock until her fever finally broke. She was barely out of the woods when word came that the Dog Soldiers' trials had been set beginning the next week in Hayes. Kitty had put on a brave face, but he could tell she didn't want him to go. However, Doc had practically shoved him out the door of his office. Kitty was still so physically and emotionally fragile the day he left that he berated himself for not trying harder to get a postponement. "Nonsense!" Doc had barked at him cantankerously. "You just get on up there to Hays, Mr. Marshal, and make sure those bastards pay for what they did. You know I'll take good care of her while you're gone. She'll-she'll be all right," he finished a little uncertainly, turning away and swiping across his mustache. "And don't show your face around here until every last one of them has been hanged." By the time he got to Hayes, he had managed to once again cover his emotions with his controlled lawman's exterior. He had no other choice. Doc would let him know if anything was wrong. In the meantime, worrying would not bring the animals who hurt Kitty to justice.

* * *

Kitty looked down at the solitaire game she had laid out on the quilt in front of her and had been half-heartedly been trying to play for the last hour. She didn't feel like playing solitaire; she'd much prefer to have Doc come in and beat her at checkers again, but she knew he had work to do. He'd been spending entirely too much of his time playing nursemaid to her since Matt had left town and she wouldn't ask any more of him than he'd already given. The same went for her other friends. Once she was finally able to attend to some of her own needs, she'd insisted that Bess and Ma Smalley get back to their own lives. She couldn't ask Sam to come sit with her when looking after the Long Branch for her took so much of his time, and Matt needed Festus and Newly to look after things in his absence. She knew even the brief visits they made took more time than they could really spare. While Matt had been there, she hadn't needed any other visitors, and Doc had put the word out to the town that Kitty wasn't to be disturbed. Now that she was finally able to sit up and take notice of things, she was of two minds about visitors. Even though she finally felt like she was starting to look human, she was still self-conscious of the bruises and scars on her face and wasn't sure she wanted anyone to see her. But Kitty was by nature a social person and felt well enough that she wanted the company of others. She thought she understood why no one but her closest friends came to see her. She tried to tell herself that people were just respecting her privacy. But during the long afternoons and evenings, she was bored and lonely and wondered if people weren't afraid to come by because of what had happened to her. Even so, she wouldn't blame them for feeling uncomfortable.

Kitty shifted her hips, trying to get into a more comfortable position, and the stacks of cards fell together in a disorganized pile. She looked at it with a mixture of disinterest and disappointment. _Oh, who cares, anyway?_ She shook the quilt, sending the cards flying to the floor, and turned on her side, pulling the covers over her. _Who cares?_ she repeated with a sigh. She closed her eyes, hoping she could take a nap that wouldn't be cut short by an unwanted dream, when she heard a hesitant knock on the door.

"Come in," she said hopefully. Matt hadn't sent word that he was on his way back, but maybe….

As she turned to her back and propped herself up a little, a little, disheveled man peered around the door uncertainly. "Louie! Come on in," she said, managing a smile.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, Miss Kitty. There's someone I thought you might like to see." Louie stepped all the way into the room and immediately a ball of orange and white fur shot out of his arms and jumped onto the bed with her.

"Pumpkin! Have you been a good boy for Louie?" Kitty felt a twinge that had nothing to do with Pumpkin crawling over her still-healing ribs to get to her. She had known for some time that on the nights he wasn't sleeping in her room at the Long Branch, her cat often kept Louie company. Sam and the girls had no doubt been looking out for him, too, since she'd been attacked. He had obviously not suffered any neglect while she'd been confined to Doc's, but she felt horribly guilty all the same that she hadn't once thought to ask about him since her ordeal.

"I thought you might be lonesome, what with the Marshal being out of town," Louie continued. He noticed her wince when Pumpkin jumped on her, and now she looked close to tears as the cat rubbed his head against her bruised face. "I'm sorry, Miss Kitty, I shouldn't have let him bother you like that."

"It's all right, Louie, he's not hurting anything."

Louie stood twisting his hat in his hands, ill at ease from seeing his friend in such a vulnerable state. "Maybe I'll come back and see you tomorrow?" he asked tentatively.

"Sure, Louie. You come see me anytime," she whispered.

Louie closed the door behind him softly as he left the room. Doc looked up from his journal.

"I thought I was doing the right thing, Doc, but I just made her cry." Saddened at the thought that he might have caused Miss Kitty even more distress, Louie looked ready to cry himself.

"You did just fine, Louie. It might not seem like it, but that's probably the best thing for her right now." Doc got up and walked to the outer door with him, patting his shoulder. "You come back tomorrow and I'll bet she'll be real glad to see you then."

Somewhat reassured, Louie went out the door. Doc thought he'd probably better go check on his patient. Despite what he'd said to Louie, he was worried about the affect her visitor was having on her.

Doc peered through the door to see Kitty sitting up, both arms wrapped around the cat. Pumpkin's head was curled into her shoulder and he purred loudly. Kitty's face was buried against Pumpkin's side and Doc could hear her sniffling.

"Kitty? Can I get you anything, honey?"

"Not right now, Doc," she said, her voice muffled. "I'll be all right."

Telling her to call if she needed anything, Doc left the door ajar and went back to his desk. He ran his hand over his mustache thoughtfully. It was probably too soon to tell whether Pumpkin would be enough to sustain Kitty until Matt's return.


	3. Coming Back

**Chapter Three Coming Back**

Matt continued to ride south back to Dodge, stopping once briefly to rest and water Buck, refill his canteen, and eat a few pieces of jerky before going on his way. His need to get back to Kitty was driving him, but he knew he would have to make camp for the night eventually, and he was already feeling the frustration of hours wasted that could be spent closing the distance between them. When he'd left Dodge for the trials, Doc seemed confident that the worst was over for her physically, yet it had been obvious to both of them that all was still not right with Kitty.

Doc had explained it to him while she was still delirious from fever. She had a concussion, and sometimes head injuries could cause a change in personality. In addition to that were the emotional scars she would have long after her physical injuries had healed. She was a strong woman, but Bonner and his gang had done everything they could to break her. There was no way to tell if the Kitty they knew would be back.

Already wracked with guilt since he first learned Kitty had been abducted, he knew where the fault would lie if Kitty couldn't come back from this. The Dog Soldiers' brutality had caused her injuries, but all the blame rested on his shoulders. His failure to protect her had caused the very thing he had feared for the last eighteen years. Kitty had been used in the cruelest way possible to get to him, and now there was nothing he could do for her except wait and hope. Every last Dog Soldier could hang and spend an eternity in Hell, but it would take more than that to make things right for Kitty.

* * *

Although she was aware Doc had left the door open, Kitty was past the point of caring whether he heard her. She wept openly as she stroked Pumpkin's fur, and he continued to purr and rub his head against her shoulder and neck. She sensed that Doc would let her be unless she really needed him.

Her realization about Pumpkin had opened the floodgates, but that was just the beginning. Kitty had not really cried over what had happened to her. True, she'd been tearful when she woke up to find Matt had gone after Jude Bonner, and she'd cried with relief when he came back to her alive. And she'd cried a little after Matt left for Hayes for the Dog Soldiers' trials. He'd been at her side almost constantly since he'd returned from capturing Bonner and she couldn't bear to think of being without him for weeks on end-no one knew for sure how long it would take to try so many men. And of course, in the first week or two after the kidnapping, she was in so much pain she sometimes couldn't keep from crying, no matter how she tried. But of course, all those times were out of physical pain and her concern for Matt. While she hadn't actually put what had happened to her out of her mind, she hadn't spent much time dwelling on it, either. Crying over her injuries was one thing, but she didn't see much point in crying over the cause of them. What was done was done and crying wasn't going to make it go away. So she had not cried for herself, not even when an attorney from the state had come to take her deposition for the trials. Somehow, she had managed to separate fact from emotion as she answered all his questions. Mercifully, he had been too embarrassed to ask her to describe the ways she'd been violated or by how many men. Her mind hadn't been capable of much more than acknowledging that it happened. Not having to provide details had allowed her the strength to get through it without breaking down.

Now, as she allowed some of the memories of that day to come back to her, she held on to the comfort Pumpkin gave her as she cried like she had never done in her life. Feelings she hadn't even known she had came to the surface. Her anger at the men who had done those things to her, though they knew it would never bring Virgil Bonner back to life. Her desperation when she first tried fighting them off and her utter hopelessness when she finally gave in to the realization that she couldn't. Her shame at the knowledge that they had used her, and Matt's love for her, as a means of revenge against him. Her sadness at the guilt she knew Matt felt at her being used against him. And her happiness at the certainty that the love between her and Matt was as strong as it ever was. Jude Bonner had not taken that away from them.

She cried until she no longer had any tears left. Exhausted, she lay back against the pillows, calmly continuing to stroke the cat around his head and neck. But it wasn't the same passive calmness she had displayed since waking from the fog of fever and pain weeks earlier, not caring about anything except for the fact that Matt was beside her. This time it was a quiet reassurance that she could still care about something.

* * *

Doc had finally gotten caught up in the tasks he had found for himself in an attempt to distract himself from the fact that Kitty was crying in the next room. The anguish he could hear in her sobs nearly broke his heart and several times he considered ignoring her wishes and going in to attempt to comfort her, but he reluctantly allowed her the time to herself, knowing that, like Matt, she needed to work things out in her own way. So it wasn't until he had finally made up the last bottle of pills that he realized she had fallen silent. Deciding it wouldn't hurt to check on her at this point, he crept to the door silently and peeked in. Pumpkin was curled up in her chest with his eyes closed, purring. Kitty's eyes were also closed and one hand rested on Pumpkin's curved back. Thinking her asleep, Doc turned to tiptoe away without disturbing her.

"Doc?"

He paused a moment, his back still toward her. Her voice was a little hoarse and still somewhat weak, but he could hear in just one word that something had changed for her. Unless it was just wishful thinking on his part, it held none of the uncertainty, fearfulness, or near-apathy that had characterized her recovery. Kitty actually _wanted_ something, and unless it involved traveling up to Hays and personally dragging Matt back to Dodge, it would be his distinct pleasure to make sure she got it. He turned back and looked at her expectantly.

"Will you have Sam bring my books over here for me?" She had the same "I won't take no for an answer" expression that usually accompanied her requests, and Doc felt even more hopeful. He wondered if it was too soon to tease her and decided to take the chance.

"Now Kitty, you know Sam can do those books just as well as you can," he told her, winking and pulling at his ear.

"Well, I know that Doc, but he's been running himself ragged making sure I have a business left to come back to. I might as well make myself useful while I'm over here lying around." There was a little irritation in her voice, but she had just enough of a twinkle in her eye to let Doc know she didn't mind him playing with her just a little. After all she had just been through, Kitty's "usefulness" was the least of anyone's concerns, and it was on the tip of his tongue to tell her everyone around her would be glad to see that she never had to work another day in her life. He knew, though, that there was about as much chance of her agreeing to that as there was of that overgrown civil servant finding his way to the altar any time soon. It just wasn't in Kitty's nature to do nothing.

"You bet I will. If you think you'll be all right alone for a few minutes, I'll go tell him right now. Would you like anything else while I'm out?"

She didn't even have to think about it. "See if one of the girls can bring over some more of my things and help me wash my hair. It's about time I started making myself presentable for my visitors." She sat up and her movement elicted an offended meow from Pumpkin. He gave Doc a resentful gaze and jumped from the bed. "Well, I guess _that_ visit is over," Kitty observed as he ran out of the room.

Doc left to go do the things Kitty had asked feeling considerably more hopeful than he had earlier that day. It might be a bit too soon to breathe a sigh of relief about Kitty's emotional state, but she had just given him a couple of good signs. _Welcome back, honey_ , he thought, as he opened the door and watched Pumpkin run down the stairs ahead of him.

TBC

A/N Once again, thank you for all the reviews. I appreciate that so many of you read and enjoy this, even though I'm not very good about responding to all of you personally. Giving a shout-out to NevadaRose for her guess (after the first chapter) of who was there to see Kitty. Even though she guessed wrong, I liked the idea and decided to work it into the story.


	4. What the Cat Dragged In

**Chapter Four What the Cat Dragged In**

It was after lunch the next day before Kitty finally got a chance to work on her books. Sam had, indeed, brought them over, along with supper for her and Doc. Her appetite was a bit better than it had been, but she still picked at the food impatiently until she'd eaten enough to make Doc happy. No sooner had Doc taken her tray away then Dorie came over from the Long Branch to help her wash her hair, as requested. It would have been rude to send her away after she'd taken the trouble to gather up the toiletries and cosmetics she thought Kitty would want, along with a clean nightgown and her favorite lacy peignoir. Having her hair washed and taking a sponge bath afterwards tired her out more than she wanted to admit, but she still made a show of arguing with Doc about getting some rest, pretending he'd talked her into it after he pointed out that leaving the books for the next day would give her something to look forward to.

She had every intention of starting on the books right after breakfast, but the morning went much the same as the previous evening. Before she was even done with her breakfast, Pumpkin ran into the room, followed by a shaky but surprisingly sober Louie.

" _Louie, I want to thank you for bringing Pumpkin yesterday. What made you think of it?"_

 _Louie grinned at her sheepishly. "Well, Pumpkin did, Miss Kitty! He came up to me while I was working at the stable carrying on somethin' terrible! I said 'What's the matter boy, do you miss your mama?' but of course he couldn't answer me. So when I got finished I decided to come see you and he followed me over here!"_

" _Well, I'm glad you did. Now, how about finishing this breakfast so Doc doesn't get mad at me?" she asked in a conspiratorial whisper. Doc, overhearing in the next room, smiled and ran a hand over his mustache._

Once Louie left, again leaving Pumpkin behind, Dorie returned, bringing the figures Sam had written down from the previous night's business. She stayed to brush Kitty's hair, since she was still too sore to raise her arms high enough to do it herself, and tied it back with a blue ribbon that matched the sash of her peignoir. Kitty was in the middle of making her injuries less noticeable with a little face paint when the next of what turned out to be a steady stream of visitors arrived. It was Festus, and he was clearly delighted to see how much she had improved in the two days since he had seen her last. He showered her with every colorful compliment in his repertoire, beginning with "sight for sore eyeballs," ending with "plumb purty," and included several Kitty had never heard before. After giving Pumpkin a good scratch behind the ears and receiving a goodbye kiss on the cheek from Kitty, he was on his way back to making rounds. The rest of her morning was one visitor after another. Burke, Lathrop, and Newly all stopped in, along with a cross-section of nearly every segment of the Dodge City population, from Mr. Botkin to the preacher's wife; from the dressmaker to the other saloon owners.

"Doc, if I didn't know better, I'd say someone put the word out that I was ready for company," Kitty said to him with raised brows during a lull in the activity.

"Oh, pshaw," Doc protested. Just then they heard the outer door open and close again.

"Hello," called a haughty elderly female voice. Doc and Kitty exchanged a look and Doc walked out of the bedroom to greet the next visitor. As they had both suspected, it was the diminutive, sour-faced Edsel Pry, bearing one of her freshly baked lemon meringue pies. Miss Pry nodded at Kitty and sat primly in the chair across the room from her. Doc wisely removed the pie to the outer office, anticipating that it might otherwise be thrown at some point in the visit. Kitty scowled at him, already having planned to do just that if Miss Pry said anything against Pumpkin, who had retreated under the bed, or criticized Matt's ability to keep the riffraff, as she would no doubt put it, out of town. If she did that, Doc thought, or Heaven forbid said anything at all to imply that Kitty had brought her injuries on herself by stepping forward as Matt's woman, he would shove the pie in the woman's face himself. After the usual pleasantries in which Miss Pry expressed her hope that Kitty was feeling better and Kitty graciously thanked her for her visit, they settled into an awkward silence. The woman had barely spoken two words to her in eighteen years, aside from their butting heads a few times over her complaints about Pumpkin, and Kitty couldn't help wondering what the woman was doing there.

" _May I say something, Miss Russell?" she asked finally_

" _Of course," Kitty responded, wishing once more that Doc had left the pie._

" _As you know, I do not approve of the saloon business."_

 _Never having had an actual conversation with the woman, Kitty "knew" no such thing, but the news came as no great shock to her._

" _Nevertheless, your establishment appears to be the most reputable one of its kind in town."_

 _Kitty waited patiently for her to continue._

" _And you do have a reputation for being honest and fair in your business transactions. I have always respected that about you."_

 _Kitty wondered if Miss Pry was going to get to the point anytime soon. It was nearly lunchtime and she hadn't started working on her books yet._

" _However, your recent actions in the situation with those dreadful outlaws have given me another reason to admire you."_

 _Kitty's brows shot up and she stared at the woman, wondering if she'd heard her correctly._

" _Now, I have no wish to bring up what happened to you afterward…"_

 _Doc, standing just out of view in the other room, muttered "you'd better not" and glanced over at the pie._

" _...but may I just say I think you were a very brave woman to do what you did."_

 _Kitty shook her head, protesting, "I only did what any-"_

 _Miss Pry raised a hand, interrupting her. "Miss Russell, I know a good many decent, respectable women,_ Christian _women, who wouldn't have had the courage to do what you did. Perhaps if the person being threatened were their husband, or their child, certainly, they wouldn't hesitate to act. But under any other circumstances they would stay out of sight and let the men protect them, no matter the consequences." She paused a moment for air and then continued. "You are a remarkable woman, Miss Russell. While I never expect to set foot in your business unless it's to speak to you about your tomcat, I just thought you should know that."_

 _Kitty sat there, speechless, trying to digest everything Miss Pry had just said to her. Not only was the old women one of the last people she would have expected to hear such things from, she was the first person who hadn't treated her like a victim. While Kitty didn't consider herself the hero Miss Pry was making her out to be, she appreciated that the woman saw her actions as necessary and the right thing to do._

 _Miss Pry rose from her chair stiffly, straightened her cape, and announced, "I believe I've taken up enough of your time for one day and I have another batch of pies to make, so good day." She passed Doc, standing dumbfounded, on her way out. "Doctor." She nodded at him and marched purposefully out the door._

" _What do you make of that Doc?" Kitty asked when he stuck his head in the doorway to ask if she wanted him to reheat some soup for her lunch. He just shook his head and tugged on one ear, as baffled as Kitty was by what had just happened._

After lunch Kitty spread her ledgers out on the tray over her lap. Seeing that Pumpkin was curled up in a patch of sunlight in front of one of the windows and hopeful that he wouldn't decide to plop down on top of her books any time soon, she got to work. After about an hour of going over Sam's figures for the last month, she realized her head and neck were beginning to ache and sat up straight to stretch out a bit. It was then that she noticed Pumpkin's behavior. He was no longer napping, but appeared to be interested in something under the bed. He crouched down onto his front paws, watching whatever it was intently. He wiggled his behind from side to side a few times and then sprang forward and pounced.

"Doc, get in here!"

Hearing Kitty frantically calling for him, Doc dropped the medical journal he'd been studying and bolted into the bedroom. Panting and possibly even wheezing a little, he managed to gasp "What's wrong?"

Kitty stared at him. "I'm sorry, Doc, I didn't mean to scare you. It's not me. Look!" she pointed at Pumpkin, who appeared to have something cornered. Then he did a double take. For the first time since before her ordeal, Kitty had a smile, a _real_ smile, on her face.

"Doc, aren't you glad that thing didn't show its face a couple of hours ago when Miss Pry was here? She'd probably turn you in to the health department for allowing rodents in your office."

"Listen here, young lady, I _am_ the health department in this town," he said gruffly, managing to scowl and wink at the same time. "And as for keeping rodents away, well, I let that mouser in here, didn't I? Looks to me like he's got the problem under control."

"Oh, no, you don't," Kitty exclaimed, seeing Pumpkin approach with the unwanted visitor in his mouth. "Don't you _dare_ bring that thing up onto this bed, mister!"

Pumpkin, possibly remembering past incidents in which his lady had been rather vocal about her lack of appreciation for that type of gift, changed his course and laid the mouse down at Doc's feet. On seeing this, Kitty let out a loud whoop of laughter, followed immediately by "ow! ow!" as she wrapped her arms around her sore ribs.

"By golly, Kitty, it's good to hear you laugh again!" Doc exclaimed once she had managed to contain herself.

"It's good to have something to laugh about again, Doc," she said pensively.

Doc plucked the mouse from the floor by its tail and went to the door to let it, along with Pumpkin, outside. When he returned to Kitty, she looked at him sadly, tears clinging to her lashes. Doc crossed the room silently and put one arm around her shoulders. He didn't need to ask what was wrong but she told him anyway.

"Doc, has there been any word from Matt?"

TBC


	5. Landing On Her Feet

A/N I want to thank everyone again who has left reviews on the story. I am also to the point where I think I need to add a disclaimer. This is just a little story about Kitty beginning her emotional recovery from events in the Hostage episode and about the bond that she and Matt share, and as such I have not been making much of an attempt at accuracy regarding matters such as travel time between Hays and Dodge City, witnesses from Dodge needing to testify at the trials, or news about the verdicts arriving before Matt does. In addition to that, I'm not really sure if the crimes committed against Kitty, as heinous as they were, were actually hanging offenses from a legal standpoint. However, I am quite certain that most if not all of the Dog Soldiers were guilty of many other crimes which would merit life or death sentences.

 **Chapter Five Landing On Her Feet**

As Matt neared Dodge early the morning of the third day of his journey, his thoughts, which had focused almost entirely on Kitty the entire way, drifted back to the trials and most particularly the verdicts. With Kitty unable to testify and Doc's refusal to leave his patient to do likewise, there was little other testimony and only their depositions to be entered into evidence. Most of the gang was not even tried for their part in the kidnapping and assault; but the state of Kansas had plenty of other charges waiting for them. Assault. It was such an inadequate word to describe the way Bonner and his men had violated Kitty. He finally allowed the word into his mind. Rape. His Kitty had been raped. It wasn't the first time, but when it had been one man; one incident, she'd been able to get past it. _It was just another man, Matt,_ she said when she told him about it, alluding to her past. He wasn't dense enough to believe it was that simple; he knew her better than that. But the injuries from the beating that went along with it were minor compared to what she'd endured this time. And that man had already been dead at his hands by the time he knew about it.

In the end, it was only Jude Bonner himself who had actually been convicted for the crimes against Kitty. But there were other convictions. And LaFitte was already dead. Justice, although it had not been done in Kitty's name, had still been done.

* * *

Matt stabled his horse and went by the office just long enough to drop off his gear and answer Festus with a gruff "I'll tell ya about it later" when he asked how his trip had gone. He strode purposefully off to Doc's, oblivious to everyone who greeted him along the way, and took the stairs as fast as his saddle-weary body could go.

Doc looked up, taking off his glasses, when Matt walked through the door.

"How is she?"

Doc cocked his head, wiping at his mustache. "I was awful worried about her until a few days ago, Matt. But I think she'll be all right."

Matt frowned. "What happened?"

"Physically, she was about the same, but she was awful down after you left. If it had gone on much longer I would have sent for you, but she's really turned around in the last couple of days."

Matt nodded in the direction of the bedroom door, cracked open about two inches. "Well, can I go in and see her?"

Doc leaned his head to one side, tugging on his ear. "Why don't we let her sleep awhile yet? Yesterday pretty well wore her out."

"I thought you said she was doing better."

"She is. She's-well, pour yourself a cup of coffee and I'll tell you about it. You can see her after that."

Kitty woke to the smell of coffee brewing and the sound of voices in the next room. They were speaking too quietly for her to understand them, but she knew one was Doc, and she would recognize that distinctive rumble anywhere. _Matt._ She smiled, painfully drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them. A moment later her excitement turned to impatience and she wondered why he wasn't coming in. Doc must have told him not to wake her. _Well, she'd just see about that._ She pushed the quilt away and swung her legs over the side of the bed, struggling to stand. Doc didn't want her getting up by herself; she was still a little unsteady on her feet. On the other hand, it had been over a week since he'd demanded to accompany her whenever she used the chamber pot next to the bed, so she could certainly make it to the door on her own.

Doc had started by explaining Kitty's emotional state since he had left; that she had become increasingly passive and withdrawn even though her physical condition had improved. Matt's jaw tightened as he listened, relaxing when he went on to describe how things had turned around for her. As he had been on the day Kitty was almost robbed in her office, Pumpkin had been there when she needed him. He made a silent vow to treat Pumpkin to a steak, assuming he'd eat one if he didn't have to steal it from some unsuspecting human. Doc finished his story by telling him about the surprising visitor of the previous day.

"Is that right?" Matt felt like his face might crack with the first genuine smile he'd had in weeks. "You mean the same Miss Pry who's always threatening everyone with the attorney general? She said _that_?"

Doc nodded, chuckling softly, and then they heard a quiet voice in the doorway.

"It's about time you got back, Cowboy."

Matt and Doc both leapt to their feet. Matt took his hat off and let it fall to the floor. "Kitty."

"Young lady, what in thunder are you doing out of that bed?" Doc realized the moment the words left his lips that he could have saved his breath. No one was listening. The couple stood lost in their first sight of each other in weeks. Kitty clutched the doorway with both hands, and despite the strands of hair that had come loose from her braid in the night and what remained of the bruises and scars on her face, she looked as beautiful as ever to Matt. It took him a moment to realize her knuckles were growing white with the effort to hold herself up. Without a word, he went to her side, putting an arm around her shoulder and turning her around in the same motion. He stepped through the doorway into Doc's room, closing the door behind them.

"Come on. You need to lie down before you fall over." He pulled her gently to his side.

Kitty wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned against him for support as they walked to the bed. "I've hardly been out of this bed at all until lately," she said shakily as Matt helped her lie down, then propped her up to a sitting position by placing pillows behind her back. He pulled the quilt up to her waist and then sat down on the edge of the bed facing her.

"I'm sorry we woke you up."

"I'm not."

"How are you feeling?" It was nearly a rhetorical question. She almost looked like herself again. Her skin was back to its usual creamy complexion; the light that had been missing from her eyes when he left for Hays was back.

"Better, now." She raised her arms to him, groaning when she felt something pull in her side. "Well, good enough to forget I still have a ways to go, I guess," she joked when she saw the look of concern on his face.

He helped her sit up a little more and gently put his arms around her, careful to avoid the bullet wound. "Doc says you're doing a lot better the last few days."

"I won't be going dancing anytime soon, but if you bring me supper tonight, I might sit up at the table to eat it if Doc will let me."

"You can do anything you feel like doing, as long as you don't tire yourself out," Doc said from the doorway. They hadn't noticed him come in.

"Well, does that mean I can go home?" Kitty asked slyly, winking at Matt.

"Well, now, I think if the local law enforcement will agree to keep you out of trouble, I can turn you loose."

"How about it, Miss Russell, do you think you can behave yourself in my custody?" Matt looked at her with mock sternness.

Kitty tried to put on her most innocent expression. "Looks like I'm gonna have to if I want to get home."

"I came in here to tell you I was going for breakfast before that scraggly-faced hillbilly shows up and starts mooching. I'll bring some back for both of you and then, Matt, I think you ought to get some sleep. And a bath and a shave wouldn't hurt, either." He gave a quick nod, donned his hat, and left them to their conversation.

"Ooh, Doc's right," Kitty grinned and wrinkled her nose, eyeing the stubble on his cheeks.

"Hey now…"Matt protested with a chuckle. Their eyes met and they shared a long look. Kitty reached forward and laid her hand on his arm.

"How'd it go, Matt?" she asked softly, preparing herself for his answer.

Matt paused for a few seconds. He'd both longed for and dreaded this moment. He had never lied to Kitty before, but he couldn't quite bring himself to tell her the whole truth, and didn't know if she was ready to hear it yet. Without looking away, he took both of her hands and told her the part she needed to know.

"It went the way it was supposed to, Kitty. All guilty. A few of them got life sentences, but most of them hanged."

Kitty nodded, not quite sure how she felt. She couldn't be happy about their deaths, but as she'd heard so many times, if ever a man needed killing, it was - "Oh, Matt!" she exclaimed, knowing what even one hanging did to him. "You didn't witness all of them, did you?"

He shook his head. The sheriff in Hays hadn't wanted him to be present for any of them. "Just the last one," he said tersely.

She knew, of course, who Matt was talking about. "He'll never hurt anyone again."

"Nope." Kitty could really get to the heart of the matter sometimes. He saw her reaching toward him and moved closer to her. She wrapped her arms around him and nestled her head against his chest.

"I'm so glad to have you back," she whispered.

He said it so softly she wasn't sure she heard him right. "I'm glad to have you back, too."

TBC


	6. Ready For Dancing

**Chapter Six Ready For Dancing**

Late that afternoon, Kitty, after deciding she'd spent quite enough time in bed lately, reclined comfortably on the settee in her room. Pumpkin was curled up next to her purring quietly. In between turning the pages of the book she was reading, she scratched him behind the ears. Every time she touched him he blinked his greenish-brown eyes at her lazily and burrowed his head deeper into the curve of his body. Kitty put her book down and looked around the room, breathing a sigh of contentment. It had been a full and tiring day for her. After sending Matt off to his rarely-used room to get the sleep she could tell he desperately needed, she worked on her ledgers until he returned, freshly bathed and shaved, to eat lunch with her and Doc. Afterward he brought her home to the Long Branch, ignoring her half-hearted protests and carrying her all the way to her door. Someone, one of the girls probably, had come in to air out the room for her. The bed had been made with fresh linens and, much to her delight there was a hot bath in her own tub waiting for her.

" _Matt, you don't mind if I go take a good long soak right now, do you?" she asked, turning toward the washroom._

 _Matt put his hand on her arm to stop her. "Well, no, but I'd better stay around and help you in and out of the tub."_

 _She froze, coming to a sudden realization. Tears flooded her blue eyes. She was not ready for Matt to see her yet. "Oh, Matt, I…." She looked at him sadly, shaking her head._

 _He nodded, looking down at his boots for a moment. "It's all right, honey. I understand," he said quietly, looking her in the eye again and caressing her upper arms. "I wasn't thinking. I'll send one of the girls to help you on my way out, all right?"_

By the time Alice helped Kitty out of the lilac scented water, she had begun to feel better about what had happened earlier with Matt. The warm water and a little cry had eased her tensions and she was able to look at things in a new perspective. It wasn't that she didn't know certain things would take some time getting back to normal between her and Matt. She had expected that he would spend the night her first night home, maybe even share her bed, but nothing more. She wasn't afraid to have him do that. She hadn't thought about the smaller things, like bathing and dressing in front of him. It had taken her by surprise, when she was already overwhelmed with emotions from Matt coming home and moving back to her own room. At least Matt wasn't hurt by her reaction; just a little embarrassed to have caused it. He understood her so well at times, and at others, well...after eighteen years he sometimes seemed to _still_ have a lot to learn about women.

She heard the familiar footsteps approaching and smiled when she realized he was coming in not from the back but from the direction of the front staircase. She heard the door open behind her and the sound of him hanging up his hat and gun belt. His steps sounded a little hesitant as he walked toward her, and she kept her eyes on her book until he sat down at the other end of the settee.

"Hello, sweetheart," he said somewhat contritely. She looked up, surprised at the endearment he rarely used.

"Evening, Cowboy," she answered, finally giving him a reassuring smile.

"Kitty, for a minute there I thought you were still mad at me."

"I wasn't mad, Matt. I just wasn't expecting you to say that and I was a little startled, I guess. I'm better now. Maybe...maybe you would help me get dressed in the morning? If you're still here, I mean."

"If that's what you want, Kitty," he said slowly, nodding.

"Come here," she whispered, holding out her hand. Matt moved until he was close to, but still not touching her. He wrapped his arms around her in a loose embrace; a little worried he might hurt her. She put her arms around him as tightly as she could manage and her book fell to the floor, forgotten. When he brushed his lips against her temple, Kitty looked up at him. "How about a real kiss?" Their lips came together gently, tentatively, neither one of them sure how much would be too far for Kitty. The decision was made for them when Pumpkin, with an indignant meow, squirmed in between them from where he had been trapped between Kitty and the back of the settee. They broke apart, laughing nervously. Pumpkin gave Matt a disdainful look and curled up on Kitty's lap in an attempt to reclaim his lady from the big man who always seemed to want her to himself.

Matt cleared his throat. "I understand we have him to thank for bringing you back," he said, nodding toward Pumpkin.

"Doc told you?"

Matt nodded.

"You were a big help again, weren't you, mister?" Kitty addressed this comment to Pumpkin, stroking the top of his head. "And you didn't have to give up one of your nine lives this time to do it."

"Listen, Kitty," Matt began, not quite sure how to introduce the subject. "I know you said you weren't ready for dancing, but do you think Doc will let you go fishing?" Their eyes met and she understood he wasn't talking about either dancing or fishing. He needed to know what was and wasn't all right.

"Well, now, didn't Doc say I could do whatever I wanted as long as the marshal kept me in line?"

"Something like that." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He was sure she'd understood, but she hadn't answered his question.

"I know what you're asking me, Matt," she said, taking his hand in both of hers. "This is something I'm going to have to figure out along the way."

* * *

Kitty sat across the table from Matt, watching him eat. He was still ravenous from the two-day ride from Hays and after he downed his plate, she slid the rest of hers over to him to finish. At first he'd protested, saying she needed to regain her strength, but she shook her head. "Matt, this is the first time I've actually felt like eating since-since this whole thing started. Don't worry; I'll get my strength back." She stared, wondering what he was up to, when he stopped after just a few bites, cut the remainder of her steak into small pieces, and pushed the plate away from him. He looked up at her sheepishly.

"Guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach."

Kitty raised one brow. _I don't believe that for one minute._

"There's a first time for everything, Kitty." Seeing that she remained unconvinced, he tried a new tactic. "I'm saving room for that pie."

"Well, all right," Kitty conceded. She rolled her eyes and cut a small piece and an oversized one from the rest of Miss Pry's lemon meringue pie. "But if this sudden loss of appetite keeps up, I think you'd better go see Doc."

After supper, Matt led Kitty back to the settee, telling her he would take care of the dishes later. He poured them each a glass of brandy and then, instead of sitting next to her, he handed her both drinks and went back to the table. She watched him curiously as he picked up the plate of steak and walked across the room with it. He set it on the floor under the window without a word and turned to come back to her.

"I saw that," Kitty said with a trace of amusement in her voice. Pumpkin, stretched out on the window ledge, had seen it, too, and eyed the plate suspiciously. His lady usually looked the other way when he sneaked the leftovers from her plate, but the big man had never fed him anything before.

Kitty snuggled next to Matt and they talked about nothing in particular as they sipped their brandy and watched Pumpkin. He studiously ignored the plate on the floor below him, but he couldn't ignore the tantalizing smell of the cooked meat when it reached him. His nose twitched as he sniffed at the air around him, and, finally giving in, he jumped down to the floor and began to devour the steak one morsel at a time. Matt finished his drink and looked down at Kitty. Her eyes were barely open and he could tell she was more asleep than awake. He took the empty glass from her hand and set it on the small table next to them. She barely stirred when he pulled her into his lap and gently turned her so her head could rest on his shoulder. Matt rested his cheek against Kitty's hair, breathing in the scent of it, and watched Pumpkin some more.

Pumpkin paid no attention to the people in the room as he voraciously attacked his meal. Now, with just a couple of bites left on the plate, he was finally full. He sat back on his haunches and delicately washed his face, surreptitiously eyeing the two people present. Once that ritual was completed, he sat, motionless, his eyes meeting those of the big man. The man, holding his sleeping lady in his arms, was silently thanking him for something. Pumpkin, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge him, leapt gracefully back onto the window ledge. Then, with one last backward glance to see that she was in good hands, he disappeared through the open window into the night.

END

A/N Again, thanks to everyone who wrote reviews, especially those I can't reply to in person. To those of you I can, I will try harder to keep up in the future. A special thanks to singerme for her encouragement in going forward with this story when I wasn't sure whether mixing the two subjects-Pumpkin and Hostage-would work. As always, your suggestions and advice are invaluable, even if I don't end up following them.


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